Effect of sperm-agglutinating antibodies on sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction.

Objective: To study the effect of polyclonal/monospecific antisera on sperm agglutination versus capacitation as well as acrosome reaction.
Materials and Methods: Swim-up spermatozoa from cauda epididymides of fertile male hamsters were incubated under liquid paraffin with polyclonal/monospecific antisera obtained from immunized BALB/C mice, as well as with normal serum from control BALB/C mice, at various dilutions.
Results: The anti-sperm antibodies caused a significant (P < .05) sperm agglutination of various types of dilutions below 1:1000. Both capacitation and true acrosome reaction were inhibited significantly in the spermatozoa incubated with polyclonal/monospecific antisera. Capacitation in the spermatozoa with normal serum started earlier, i.e., at 2 hours of incubation compared to 3 hours of incubation in controls.
Conclusion: The data differentiate the sperm agglutinating activity from anticapacitation and antiacrosome reaction activity of antisperm antisera at 1:1000 dilution.